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Monica Edwards taught a class of primarily African American and Latino students. Her initial inability to reach them turned into a lesson.

We need to push back against the message that students’ intelligence and appearances are related.

I am a good driver. You’d never know it, given the theatrics of the backseat drivers in my vehicle, whose sudden gasps and quick grasps for the dashboard denote a lack of confidence in my skills. This drama is alternately amusing, annoying and unnecessary. I'm proud to say that, for the most part, my instinctive go-to practice of "when in doubt, step on the gas" has never let me down.

Many affluent students are oblivious to issues of race and class. Here are two teaching strategies designed to open their eyes.

One after-school programmer reflects on the criminalization of youth.

Take a cue from this teacher during National Book Month— audit your classroom library!

I needed to expose my preservice teachers to a real, lasting experience with diversity. I had one day. Growing up in South Dakota, where 86 percent of the population is white, my students come to college with few experiences interacting with culturally diverse students. The reality is that classrooms today are becoming increasingly diverse.

Institutional racism can be hard to spot. Try our strategies for sniffing it out.

I’m constantly struck by the memory of my first time in a jail. It was during a tour as a part of SPLC’s efforts to monitor the conditions of detention facilities. I recall being shocked at how young some of the people looked. When I stepped into the first cellblock, I muttered a prayer. In front of me stood rows and rows of black men. I was sick to my stomach; so many of them looked like they could be my cousins, uncles and other loved ones.

A recent Cheerios commercial reminds us of the historical roots of race in the United States. Those roots still cause social and political upset.